Betting Line: Oddsmakers at 5Dimes opened the Fighting Illini as 10.5-point underdogs in the matchup, while the betting total had not been set at press time (check the college football odds link for the latest on the over under)..

Power Rankings / Prediction: It's a betting matchup between the No. 113-rated Fighting Illini and the No. 19-ranked Bearcats, according to the NCAAF Power Rankings here at Odds Shark. Predictive-scoring models run on this game indicate a potential 66-39 result in favor of the Bearcats.

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How They Match Up:The game also pits Illinois's No. 26-ranked offense, averaging 42 PPG, against a Bearcats defense that ranks No. 16 this week at 7 PPG. The Fighting Illini aerial game is averaging 415 yards per game, more than the Bearcats secondary allows through the air, 161 YPG per game.

In their last action, Cincinnati was a 42-7 winner at home against Purdue. They covered the 10-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (49) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. Cincinnati cruised to victory in its last outing, as they ran up a 42-7 score against Purdue at Nippert Stadium.

Illinois won its last outing, a 42-34 result against Southern Illinois on August 31. Illinois failed to cover in that game as a 16.5-point favorite, while the 76 combined points took the game OVER the total. Nathan Scheelhaase throttled the Salukis defense in his team's most recent action, throwing for 416 yards as Illinois handed Southern Illinois a 42-34 defeat.

Cincinnati Bearcats Trends:When playing in September are 7-3When playing on turf are 7-3After outgaining opponent are 7-3When playing outside the conference are 9-1

Illinois Fighting Illini Trends:When playing in September are 7-3When playing on turf are 2-8After outgaining opponent are 3-7When playing outside the conference are 8-2

A few Bearcats at Fighting Illini trends to consider:Cincinnati is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games Cincinnati is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the roadThe total has gone OVER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games on the roadThe total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 6 games Illinois is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at homeIllinois is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at homeIllinois is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games Illinois is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games

Next up:Cincinnati home to Northwestern State, Saturday, September 14Illinois home to Washington, Saturday, September 14

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